I'll come back
by Hiccstridforever12345
Summary: Astrid thinks Hiccup died at war, but he didn't, he had a terrible accident and had been trying to get home for almost three years. They were already married .Then one day he shows up and she is totally elated and crying because she though he had been dead. Hiccstrid. rated M. Tragedy and angst. Later romance.
1. The Letter

Okay so this is a request I had from in Tumblr and I loved it so much I decided to do a very short story summing it =) I liked the idea and I thought it was worth just like 3 or 4 chapters maybe more, I don't know. I wanted to rated T but I, personally almost cried writing it and I think it has a lot of angust, but I won't be rating it M. It's a Hiccstrid story, kind of tragedy hehehe

Anyway, here's the first chapter to make you know that I'm alive and still writing but a little busy with school and all soo yeah =) Enjoy and PLease review!

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_**I'll come back**_

_"__You better not take long" she'd said before he left._

_"__I will if I have to, milady" He leaned down to kiss her forehead before he kissed her lips. Astrid didn't let him pull back and she returned the kiss with more passion, throwing her hands in his hair and pulling him down closer to her, and deepening the kiss. _

_It wasn't new to Astrid to see Hiccup leave on duty, but either way she always said goodbye like this. She made sure that every time Hiccup left, he had a reason to come back._

_"__If you die out there, I'll hunt you down and kill you until you ancestors feel the pain, understood?" She mumbled against his neck._

_With one last kiss, he grinned down at her, "Yes milady, however, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll be back as soon as I can" _

_He didn't._

Astrid woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night. That knock in her door kept on until it woke her. She shook her head and went downstairs of the Haddock Household, rubbing her eyes. Astrid had been acting chief until Hiccup comes home; he's been gone for a half a month now, he insisted she stayed and take care of the village this once. The problem with the Uglithugs had been a little bit delicate for the young chief; it had been going on for months and Hiccup decided it was time to stop it. Him and a few other warriors climbed their dragons and hadn't returned within a fortnight. Astrid was okay with it actually, she knew Hiccup had to take his time with the whole peace-making thing.

The knocking stopped when she opened the door. It was dark and the figure on front of her could only mean that the person in front of her was Fishlegs. He looked agitated and Astrid knew something was wrong.

"Legs? What are you doing here in the middle of the night? I-"

"Astrid, I have some new for you, I-I well, I was on the night's watch an-and I-I, well-"

"Spit it out Fish-" Said the annoyed young woman. It was late and Astrid was not in the mood for stutters.

"Astrid- I saw something approaching in the sky. I thought it was a dragon or something" That gained Astrid's attention and she listened closely now to what Fishlegs had to say. "It-It was a rider. A Berk's rider. H-He was limping and v-very bad injured."

Astrid's eyebrows shot up and she looked at him wide-eyed.

"Is he okay? Where is he?!"

"He's fine; we took him to Gothi's. I-I… Astrid he came with this." Fishlegs reached for a piece of rolled parchment he had in his pocket and handed it to her. Astrid grabbed it and saw it was a letter from the Uglithugs. Not good news. But she didn't want to fear the worst. "It-it's addressed to the high authorities of Berk and I suppose that's you for the moment, I haven't opened it. But I'm guessing they're not good news-"

Astrid rolled the parchment open and read it anxiously. Yep, it was from the Uglithugs, saying… saying…

She covered her mouth and scream in it. NO. No, this can't be true. She refused to believe it. Astrid sobbed loudly as she kept reading the letter. Tears involuntarily flowed down her cheeks. Astrid's body started trembling at whatever cursed thing she was reading, reporting to her the worst kind of information she had in mind.

Fishlegs looked at her in horror and covered his mouth too. He had no idea what was in that letter but judging by Astrid's face, it could only mean one thing and one thing only. It had to do with her husband. He dared not to ask anything but the nerves burned him alive. "As-Astrid, what does it say?" His voice was shaking.

The knot in her throat became so big she couldn't even breathe. Astrid chocked in her breaths. Her insides burned and squirmed for reaction. Her mind blowing every kind of thought that didn't focus on the pain she was feeling right now. It was killing her, almost as if she was losing the will to live and let her body struggle in its own. Her eyes stuck in the piece of paper she had now loosely held in her hands and her legs gave up, knocking her body to the ground as she sat in her ankles. Astrid let go of the parchment before covering her face in her hands and wailing, crying and begging to the gods that she woke up of this foul dream.

Fishlegs was anguished with the crumbling of Astrid in front of him. He had absolutely no idea what to do. Astrid wailing became louder and she lay helpless on the ground of her house. Fishlegs took the courage to step out and comfort her. His hand landed in her shoulder and she kneeled in beside her before wrapping his arms around her, as soon as he did this Astrid stretched her arms around him and cried in his shoulder. The pain in Fishlegs heart grew bigger. He was just trying to help.

Astrid couldn't believe. She won't. He-he... They... They've just started a new life together. He couldn't do this to her. Not now. Please not like this. Please, no!

_Hiccup_

His name rang in her ears as if someone had been yelling at them for hours. It hurt.

_Hiccup_

"Hiccup" Her voice was barely audible with all the tears and muffling in Fishlegs' shoulder. She cried his name again louder and pulled away from the hug and stood up, he followed her. Astrid wiped away the tears but kept on her miserable face and her sobs continued.

"I, eh, sorry Fish-"

"Astrid, I understand." He interrupted.

"I-I need some time alone Fish- I-" Astrid wiped away the dampness in her face and the turned to him. Fish understood immediately and gave Astrid one last hug before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

It felt... empty. The house. Everything.

Time stopped. And the beating of her heart was the only thing going on race. A race she's not going to win this time. The Haddock household had been kind of empty since Stoick departure, but it was still always filled with the laughter of Hiccup cheerfulness and his presence that gave the place some life. His mother came along and everything seemed like it was before; one son, one parent. But it was still empty somehow, until she moved in on the night of their wedding and in some ways, it made everyone forget for a moment that that emptiness couldn't be filled. The house still lacked a bit with the presence of the mighty ex-chief.

But now… it was nothing but a reminder of how vacant and unoccupied this place will be. This was different; hopeless and unchangeable.

Astrid paced around their- **_her_** residence in an aching suffocating silence that tore her soul apart in a merciless state of inability to do something.

The chocking air of broken promises filled her lungs in just one poisonous breath. The candles were out and the place grew even more in its gloominess. She trembled.

Astrid wanted to blame someone. She blamed that blasted tribe, she blamed Toothless for not protecting his riders fast enough, she blamed Hiccup for getting out of her arms in the first place, she blamed the dragons for bringing the whole problem to the tribes and force Hiccup to do something about it. She blames herself for letting Hiccup go. She blamed herself for not letting him go. She blamed her fate and the gods, she blamed at nothing in particular. A scream of rage blew in the house, then a wail and another cry. Astrid collapsed on the living room whining and grieving. Moaning and weeping.

_'__If you die out there, I'll hunt you down and kill you until you ancestors feel the pain, understood?' _

_ '__Yes milady, however, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll be back as soon as I can' she remembered._

_He didn't._

**_He didn't. _**

Astrid meant that as a joke and he meant that as a promise. The young woman's nails dug into her nightgown, she thought they'd almost draw blood underneath the fabric. She didn't mind. She didn't mind anything anymore. She didn't care. The promises were broken, the promised life was shattered. Their life together will only be one more vain wish. _Their_ life together. What would and would't have been. What could and could't have been. _What should and shouldn't have been_. With him.

She had to let go of tha- NO. She will never forget and will never forgive. She wouldn't. Astrid would never let her husband go. Not like this. He changed her world and stole her heart. Her memories painfully guided her to every single aspect of his being; printing enough of his memory to last for the rest of her life. And the love she felt for every single section of it. The ones she'll never get tired of loving; his soft touch, his loving gaze, his stubborn fingers, the taste of his lips, his courage and determination…

Astrid didn't even bother to remove the moist of tears formed in her cheeks or rub her red eyes. It didn't matter.

_Your chief is dead. He died in a pathetic attempt of battle trying to bring to us that ridiculous treaty we will not accept with mare words of promise of the future. _

_I, the chief of the tribe of the Uglithugs, will not tolerate any more discussion of the matter, sorry for your loss. The battle was brutal; my men and your men are dead, but I'm willing to let this go, if you will._

_Chief of the Uglithugs._

_It drowned in her eyes as she read those foul words. Astrid had burned it down as soon as Fishlegs left her house._

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So this is the fisrt chapter, hope you liked it! Please review =)


	2. The aftermath

Guys! I'm going to change this short story to Rated M, because of language, a little bit of gore and later sexual content ok? We'll get more in depth about what exactly happened with the Uglithugs and the reat of the village. Preceed to read the next chapter thank you!

PS: Prepare for my own new headcanon of my Hiccstrid babies! I decided to apport with my drawing skills to the fandom! I drew them and I'll be posting them on Tumblr when I publish the third chapter =) I'm so happy!

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**_I'll Come Back - Chapter 2_**

Astrid woke up early, more like, two in the morning, and didn't sleep that night at all. She spent the whole night in the floor of the living room. Just crushing her legs with her arms to her chest and sobbing.

The first knock in the door came around at six in the morning. It was her mother-in-law. Astrid felt a pair of arms hugging her as tightly as they could. Valka whispered words of courage in her ear, but those words didn't' help at the moment. Val was crushed herself. She'd lost a husband and now… her son too.

_It'll get better_

_I'm so sorry_

Astrid loved Valka, she was like a mother to her and they got along really well. Helping Hiccup always, teasing him, laughing with him and at him, and being cooking buddies. It was the last part of Hiccup she had from him. Astrid hugged her with the same amount of anxiety, understanding that the older woman had lost more. They got each other. Astrid was going to support her husband's mother as much as Val was going to support her.

The two women cried together at the loss of a very much loved one and spent the day inside the house receiving constant interruption of people bringing their condolences and gifts to the young widow. The day was cloudy and there was nothing special to do in the house, it was quiet, the whole village looked like it fell under a muting curse; no one dared to share a smile or a cheer. The news spread almost in like half an hour throughout the whole village. They all decided to do a funeral in honor of Hiccup and the rest of the warriors. It was the least they could do. They'd never be forgotten, Astrid promised, she gave her best speech she'd ever make without losing it. That day was black.

The gang stopped by for a little while, but Astrid insisted that she wanted to be alone with Valka. Gobber stayed a little more time and talked about what happened to the rider that came in the middle of the night, apparently he, a survivor of the war, was sent to die here on Berk with a little message that was the letter for the Chief's wife and a reminder.

Astrid was picking up the table after lunch one time, while Valka took care of the dishes. As the young woman crossed the kitchen with some dirty plates in her still trembling hands, she slipped and blamed her lack of concentration and clumsiness when the plates fell of her fingers and crashed in the hard floor, starling Valka. Her mother-in-law immediately went to her aid as Astrid tried to clean up the mess.

"Oh my-"

"I'm so sorry" Valka heard a sniff, Astrid had her head down, not wanting to meet her eyes. "I-I'm sorry I-I wasn't looking I-"

"It's okay dear, it's okay, I'll clean it up-"

"No, I-"

"Let me" Valka grabbed Astrid's elbow gently to help her up "You need to rest dear, I'll clean this up" Astrid sat on the table and wiped the few tears that came out of her eyes as Valka cleaned up the shattered pieces. She sighed and realized that she really was tired. But sleep didn't come that night either. Not for at least a month.

The first time she slept on the forever empty bed was that night, and she seriously considered not sleeping there. The bed widened the hollow in her heart. Astrid laid her head on the pillow and shifted her hand to her husband's spot, softly caressing the length, his scent was almost gone, something she didn't want to, gone with the past week of his absence, and now for good. Wood avens, leather and mugwort – what would she give to make them tangible.

Valka stayed for the night, sleeping in the living room to make her company and grieve in her own way, alone. Two Haddocks down.

"You killed him!" Snotlout and Gobber grabbed her by the shoulders until she calmed down. They were on their visit to the Uglithug tribe and were standing now on their shores. Astrid almost jumps into the bulky man, UG was his name. The week of the news, Astrid had to know more about the death of her husband, but as soon as she saw those bastards, all she wanted to do was strangle them to death.

Astrid was not stupid. She couldn't afford a war with the Uglithugs. They may have dragons but they would not use them for a war with a tribe as vast and savage as this one just for the death of their chief. She felt so powerless and it frustrated her.

"Why? Why did you do it?! Just because you wanted to stick to your old ways?!"

"He came to his own doom! He had no right to change us when we don't want to! He finally learned his last lesson." The hostile environment and their stubbornness made every Berkians fumed with anger. It was useless; the obstinacy of the Vikings was incredible in many ways.

"Heartless beast!" Snotlout yelled.

"How dare you speak to me like that in my own territory?!" UG roared and everyone fell silent. Fishlegs's head bent down trying to avoid conflict. His eyes swam across the shores He saw no sign of evidence of a savage fight. Then again, it happened a week ago but the place seemed clean enough. He decided it was a fact not worth mentioning.

Snotlout was the next to speak, "At least have the respect to show us his body and the rest of the Berkians"

UG stayed silent for a moment, "There was nothing left. The bodies were burned in the in the center if the plaza, right there," he gestured with his thick hand the way. The visitors followed with their eyes and a sad expression appeared in all of their features.

"Can we take a look?" Gobber said miserably.

"I'm going to make you a deal. If you leave us to our way of life and leave now, I will tell you everything that happened to your husband, let you take the burned bodies and forget about all this conflict, leaving your pathetic tribe in your own little world." The man looked satisfied when Astrid hesitated to accept his offer. She did want to know where Toothless and Hiccup died, wanted answers.

Astrid choked at the idea of her husband being killed in such a brutal way. The Uglithugs had him tortured and dropped him down in the flaming building, they said, after they beheaded his dragon. They reassured her that there was nothing left and to make sure of it, as they went to the plaza to pick up the bodies, they showed her Toothless mechanic tailfin and the rest of Hiccup's armor. That's when Astrid just started accepting the death of his husband. How much did he suffer? What happened to him? Her mind couldn't even begin to describe the images that flew to her head as she heard it.

"Stop" she squealed, she wanted to hear no more of the adulterated words. Before she lost herself in front of the Vikings. "We'll leave, but I will never forgive this and I will never forget." They had to use a big boat to carry all the bodies of their fallen warriors and their dragons. UG stared at their boat as they sailed away from his island.

Something kept on troubling on the back of Astrid's mind. Something, like a small ray of hope. How couldn't Hiccup make one of his unexpected escapes? What- what if they were still ... They- they couldn't just die... Somewhere in her heart she didn't want to accept Hiccup and Toothless were dead. They always had a plan. And that fact made her stay in thought of the possibility of them being alive.

The next week continued as grim and horrid, but Astrid's clumsiness and unfocused eyes kept worrying the older woman by the day. The blonde had had several headaches and threw up at one point, her skin was pale and she was barely eating. Somehow Valka suspected it had nothing to do with Hiccup's death. Astrid wasn't getting any better and she understood, the depression of a loss can be lethal. Until one day, somewhere in the week Astrid fell of the stairs trying to just carry one tiny basket full of clothes down her room and her leg was injured. Valka insisted to take her to Gothi, but then again, the young's stubbornness seemed to grow for the past five years with his son, and Valka wasn't taking it. She helped her daughter-in-law to walk up to the healer's. The lethargy of her grief was the answer to her situation, nothing more.

Until that day.

Astrid took a lot of time inside the elder's house and wore a pale face when she got out and it had explained everything.

"You're going to get through this. We are, together." They hugged when they heard the news as they left Gothi's.

"I-I- What am I going to do now-"

"Astrid, look at me. You are a strong and intelligent young woman and you will get through this" Val felt almost the same way when she was pregnant of Hiccup, except for the fact that she had the help of the husband. She wasn't going to let Astrid go through this alone, especially when she got nothing left but her as someone who can help her.

"But, how?" The young asked desperately, "I have to run a village now a-and I-I have no idea how to do it- He… he needs to be here" she sobered.

"Everyone in this village is not going to look bad at you. And Gobber and I are going to help you in everything, I promise. Everything's gonna be fine, love." Valka took Astrid's face in her hands and cleared the tears with her thumbs and took her again in her arms like a daughter. Shame loomed in her own eyes; Valka herself was new to the mothering thing. She'd missed her son's growth… The load of knowledge just reached to a few months of motherhood and then lacked in the rest, but she was determined to not miss this opportunity to witness and learn the growth of the last member of her small family.

Astrid understood that nothing's going to change the facts and she began to accept that Hiccup's child was growing on her belly and she wanted to have it. She found a new part left of Hiccup she could have.

"Thanks Val, I-I appreciate it. I'm going to try my best." but no smile formed in Astrid's mouth, her hands landed on her belly and stoked it gently. How long-? The revelation of her pregnancy would've arrived to Hiccup's ears soon enough if he wouldn't have… if it'd have waited just a little more… no she wouldn't want Hiccup to just after hearing the news. It would've been more painful, well, a lot more. The idea of her husband dying without even knowing he was going to have a son made ironic things insignificant.

Just as Astrid thought things couldn't get worse, her fatherless child would grow just as Hiccup; one-parented. Guilt and awe rushed through her veins. Their baby- _her_ baby; now every pronoun had to be expressed in singular form. She didn't think she'd be able to take it all by herself. She needed him. _Gods_, she needed him right here with her. Her stomach winced at the idea of her baby and its future _without_ a father.

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Hope you liked it! Please review! =)


	3. Immortals

**Hi huys! I'm so excited about this! There will be happening a lot of thing this chapter =) I recently posted a small sneak peak on Tumblr and I told you that there will be two appearences this chapter: we will know what exactly happened to Hiccup aaand... wait for it... His son! So yeah. Please review and if you want to know something more about the story plese you can ask me :) Also, I did told you that I now have my own headcanon of my Hiccstrid babies and I'll be posting them on my Tumblr account alogn with my art and the profiles of each! I hope you like them, I know I do.**

**Here you go, enjoy**

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_I'll Come Back - Chapter 3: Immortals_

_A way out._

He had to find a way out.

Blood was flowing in the ground. The dragons cut in slices. No mercy.

He had told himself to bring some backup, but once again decided against it, he strongly believed that it wouldn't be necessary. And now, he was dealing with the consequences. The sky was burning with the darkness of the night and the smoke rising from the village. Tons of warriors were falling one by one. None granted or received compassion. His men and their men. For no reason in particular.

The ashes crushed his lugs as he tried to breathe. He had fallen into the ground as he was flying his dragon a pair of razor netting caught them and an arrow landed on his shoulder, bringing them off balance and losing height. That's when he was separated from Toothless, the dragons roars were heard from the distance and his rider tried to reach for him, but his legs wouldn't move. When they were flying above the island he could see the ruthless and heartless massacre that was occurring beneath his eyes. Hiccup and the few escorts he had left were trying to save their fellow soldiers, now that they understood they won't be winning this battle. The least they could do was to save the ones they could. They were few and the hate was big. Hiccup was retreating now. But it became too late when he fell under their traps.

As he fell to the flaming building, the air was taken from his being brutally; he dropped under the roof and inside the house. The blow was so strong that His prosthetic had unclasped from his left leg; all he could do was crawl. The heat of the flames was blinding him to find it. His first thought was to get out and find his dragon but he fell hard and his body was weak. The screams from outside could be barely heard with the crumbling of the cottage and the rippling of the predatory fire. Hiccup squirmed as he tried to move his body with his arms. If he stayed there, he'll die.

The brown color of the wooden floor transformed into amber as the fire turned the house into an infernal oven with its heat. His mind tried to create an escape plan, but it only turned to watch the clock as it focused in the time he had left before the building collapses with him still inside it, and his last chance to escape wasted.

Focus became hard to come by as one of the pillars holding the wall fell beside him, rising more cinder and dust to his face and into his throat. Hiccup coughed as he moved away from it. Then realized that the wall the pillar was holding had grinded down on its own, revealing a door that was in the room behind it. The chances of that door being an exit to the house were small, but Hiccup decided he had no choice. He had to do something. He tried standing up, but without his leg, it became a really hard task, he couldn't even use the other walls as support; maybe they'd cause several grave burns in his hands. So he rose and started limping around the house as fast as he could to try to reach that door. As he was getting closer, the roof collapsed right where he was before and the rest of the house started to crumble as well. His lungs were screaming for oxygen, and he moved faster, Hiccup wanted to scream, a few tears fell from his burning eyes and down his grimy cheeks.

As soon as he reached the door, he pushed it open and was relieved when he found the exit of the house into the dire night. His breath became short and he panted hard to gain some air.

Outside, the screams of the battle were still ringing in the sky. In the time Hiccup spent trying to escape the house; the few soldiers he had left, were gone… His dragon's roars didn't stop. Hiccup gasped at the sound of his dragon and tied to reach move towards it, and not remembering that he had no left leg, he fell hard in to the ground. The adrenaline seemed to blind him to the exhaustion his body was feeling. The wounds he had on his arms and the wound in his shoulder because of the arrow were making him weak and the fall from the sky to the roof just worsened the damage. He'd lost a lot of blood; but Hiccup didn't care at the moment. He just wanted to find his Night Fury.

The cottage he'd just escaped from was already a mass of wood turning into grey ashes and the remains turned into cinder. Hiccup raised his head once more from the floor to learn that his vision and his hearing were blurred by an explosion somewhere near. Then silence. Toothless' barks ceased and Hiccup panicked. What had happened to his dragon? He had to find him.

He heard some voices nearing from down the hill. He couldn't afford be found; gods know what those bastards would do to him alive. He had to find a hideout, and quick. No. He had to find Toothless, but how? The dragon would be slain as well and he can't go around in the streets shouting his name. No. He wouldn't leave him.

Hiccup dragged himself to the side of the house to get a better view of the men who were talking without being seen, he hissed and whined as he ignored the pleading of his body. They were a pair of Uglithug soldiers, slightly injured. He figured they were checking out for the leftovers of the battle. Not long after that, UG, their chief, emerged from the ashes, his burly body excelled among the others. He looked uninterested.

"Check the remains of his body and send a letter to Berk. They must hear the news about their chief" He shrugged his broad shoulders to adjust his cloak and continued his scrolling, as if he didn't mind the situation at all. Anger shook Hiccup's being as he saw the pair of soldiers inspected the house and found the scraps of what once was his leg and laughed at it. 'He wouldn't have survived that' they chuckled. 'That's not our problem now, is it?' Did they really don't care? They left with nothing else to say and disappeared from within the smoke. Hiccup was seriously considering revealing himself and launch at the pair to make them know how very much alive he was.

The war was over. He survived, but UG thought he was dead, and he will be reporting this to Berk. They thought he was dead. And Toothless had disappeared. Hiccup's thought traveled towards Astrid and the village.

Astrid.

His mother.

The village. They will all think he's dead.

Hiccup couldn't do anything at the moment; he was badly injured, Toothless was nowhere to be seen and he didn't know how to get off that damn island to his family without his dragon; maybe he could find a boat, a tiny one, or maybe- he had to make them know he was not dead. He didn't want Astrid to know. He didn't want her to bear with the burden of death and even much less when the death had not happened. He had to get out of there. But Toothless, he won't abandon him.

Hiccup could hear the rest of the Uglithugs clean the island as he backed in the darkness and towards the outskirts of the village; he found a pathway that leaded to some kind of woodland without being found to think his escape. He carried his body with the strength he had left and hid beneath the bushes near the trees.

The battle started in the evening and it was somewhere past midnight when the savages decided to rest of cleaning and heal some of the injured. He couldn't wait till morning to search for Toothless. He couldn't stay on that island any longer. There, he inspected his burns and injuries. He couldn't go anywhere without his leg. Damn. He couldn't even walk without having to hop or drag himself up. He had nothing to cover his injures with. The bleeding had stopped long ago and his skin was filthy. His breathing was still hard to work on and his heart hadn't stopped pounding in his ears for hours. The wounds didn't matter; as soon as he gets to Toothless everything's going to be fine.

The letter to Berk was sent and Hiccup supposed there was nothing else to do to stop the news of what happened.

Hiccup waited until it was quiet again to come out. There was no moon, and the only thing that lighted the place was the burning bodies that flamed in the plaza. No one was there to honor them.

Hiccup tried not to move a lot, as he couldn't because of his leg. He searched with his eyes for the Night Fury, and dared not to shout his name or do his call with his hands; it'll startle the guards. Hiccup knew Toothless was smart and he will not think he didn't escape. He knew him; if Toothless was alive, he'd be clever not to bring attention to himself and find a place to take cover. After all, if he did that, he wouldn't be found as he was some kind of master of stealth. The dark of his skin will make him invisible under the cover of night. As he thought about this, Hiccup went back to the woodlands limping noticeably to search for him, where he knew he'd not be heard.

Using the trees for support, as it was faster to move around, he silently called the dragon's name. Nothing. Hiccup will **not **think his dragon didn't escape. Later, he remembered getting out of the flaming house and still hearing his dragon's roars. Then, the explosion happened. And then silence. Hiccup started to build the worst case scenarios in his head and tried to figure out what could've happened then. Maybe in the explosion Toothless escaped, or maybe it happened the opposite… maybe… the dragon caused the explosion to make his escape. Yes. Hiccup decided that was the best option to believe about what happened and continued searching.

The young chief was so focused on finding his best friend and had ignored the pain in his muscles. His weakness made his feat and his head numb, as he walked he started to see spots in his line of sight, his knees trembled and his ears were plugged.

Hiccup accidentally tripped over with a branch that was lying in the floor and tumbled forward as he fell in the soft grass. He stood up with difficulty and tried to recover, his head was throbbing and then he noticing the sweat that was forming in his body that mixed with the freezing breeze of the night. It made him realize what was about to happen and he was not giving in to it. He was going to fight this and get to his family. If they found him, he'll die for sure. He had to- had to... Hiccup wanted to continue but his body finally gave up and his body dropped into the grass. And everything went black.

00000

Toothless had been hiding in that littoral cave for hours now. The sun was coming up. He knew his rider was alive, he just knew it. His scent hasn't left his nostrils. As soon as he caused the explosion, he disappeared in the night, he tried to find some place to hide and as he passed near some weird place where a strange the smell of bodies flaming made him woozy. The wound in his wing hadn't healed yet; when the razor trap caught it, the cut was deep and his left wing refused to move. His tailfin and his saddle were missing, probably burned out in the flames when he fell. He couldn't fly. His wound and scared scales ached, his saliva helped a bit trying to ease the pain, but it was not enough to heal him completely.

But now, he had to find Hiccup. He'd waited long enough.

The dragon peeked out of the cave; the sun will not rise within the hour. The sky was still dark and he could use it to take cover. Toothless climbed up the cliff and headed to the outskirts of the village.

When he caught the scent of his rider, concern rose in his being. Hiccup was down…

The essence guided the dragon closer and closer to the woods and when he found him, Hiccup was laying unconscious in the ground. Toothless immediately went to his side, he nudged him awake or did something to make him wake up and acknowledge his presence. He nosed him in the head slightly and purred, then gave a groan. His rider was completely knocked over. Toothless gripped Hiccup's gaunt lightly and pulled. Nothing. Then harder, and harder. The young man stirred. The dragon knew he was alive, but he was not going to last… They had to go to someone who could heal them. Both of them.

Hiccup twisted and wringed. His body was aching terribly, his arms and legs didn't respond. The muscles of his features barely followed the instructions of his tired mind. He'd felt something, something or someone was pushed him slightly. Wha- What the hell? What had happened to him? He was laying in the floor and everything hurt. His head pounded and throbbed so hard, he didn't even want to move, but that thing kept pushing him and pulling on his shirt.

Hiccup forced his heavy eyelids open to see his intruder; as soon as he opened them; two big green eyes were string straight at him. After realizing who it was, Hiccup jolted before groaning in supreme pain that appeared instantly in his shoulder. He turned his head to the left to inspect the wound and remembered. Oh. It was turning green and purple. This was bad. The other burns haven't even changed a bit, so he dared not touch them. The dragon purred in concern. The dragon; his dragon. Toothless. Toothless was alive. He was alive and with him! Hiccup wanted to hug him but as soon as he tried to reach out for him or sit up, his body screamed. He couldn't even move his arms. His dragon helped him up and gave him his belly to rest his back and head. Hiccup put every single effort to just lift his arm slightly and rub Toothless' scales, caressing him as much as he could.

His body tumbled slackly against his dragon's body. Hiccup inhaled and exhaled heavily. "Thanks bud", his voice was small and cracked. He had coughed way too much, even his throat and lungs hurt; moments later it became hard to breath. Hiccup remembered where he was and what had happened. He was still in that damned island when he fainted and it was still dark. Did he sleep for a day? Or just for a moment? His dragon had found him, so that meant that he's been looking for him. Hiccup knew Toothless wouldn't wait an entire day to search for him until he knew they were both safe; which left them where they were. Now together, but still stuck here. And badly wounded.

Hiccup scratched the idea of leaving flying with Toothless when he saw that his dragon had no tail and no saddle whatsoever. How on earth will they go back home, with him like that and Toothless injured as well? When? Because with these injuries, it'll take months to recover; the stump in his leg was swollen and puffed up, red and throbbing. If the infection spread all over his leg… He couldn't even walk for himself, how-?

Hiccup started to think of ways out of the island. No flying, no swimming, which forced them traveling by boat. Now, how _will_ he get a boat was totally another question. He couldn't. Unless… unless he steals one? But they'll see him escaping and go after him. Unless he does it at night. Yes. That was the best option. He tried to figure out a plan while they rested in the ground.

But then, he looked up. The dark denim color of the sky was slowly turning arctic, it was nearly dawn. They'd have to wait until sundown. But they needed to move from where they were. Toothless jumped when he told him this and moved to help his rider up. As Hiccup couldn't walk, he climbed on Toothless' back as the dragon carried him to the cave in the cliff. The sun was barely visible in the horizon and the town was waking up. The vikings wouldn't wake up within at least two hours. As they passed behind a house, they could see the now only black ash covering the seared bodies in the plaza. Hiccup's grief grew in his chest and his heart ached at the sight of the disrespectful way his fellow warriors went to Valhalla.

When they arrived to the sea cave, Hiccup slowly got off his dragon's back and tried to lay on the floor to gain some strength, but all that effort turned useless by the minute. His dragon gave him his belly again for his rider to rest in and waited. Hiccup was not going to last long, but he needed to rest because there was nothing they could do but that until it's dark again.

Hiccup closed his eyes and instantly fell on a dreadful sleep that didn't let him wake up until he felt Toothless nudge him gently on his side. His body was protesting again, his head moved centimeters to his left and eyes barely raised to see the darkening sky. It was sundown. But Hiccup wasn't cheering about it. Then went back to rest, but his dragon won't let him give up just yet. He nudged him again.

Hiccup tried to raise his arm and put it on top of Toothless' neck to pull himself up. Then, with his dragon's help, he was up again in his back. They headed to the docks as they walked stealthy in the dark. There was no one there; the musky light was coming from the village, maybe from the torches sited in the middle of the plaza. They moved closer to search for some boat that could carry their weight without sinking. They found a large enough boat for just the two of them. It was floating calmly near the huge ships and other crafts, anchored to the shore with a large rope. Yes, that'll do.

As they headed downwards to the boat in the dock, a brash clank ringed down there, it'd been the slam of a door that seemed to lead to a tavern. The tavern was not far away from the boat, it was just in front of the docks. Hiccup and Toothless moved soundlessly through the large pillars of wood and hid behind some barrels piled up next to them. The boxes full of fish and stock proportioned them some cover. Clinks, snorts and loud thuds echoed to where they were. The men laughed and roars of them, doing who knows what in there, was not the mayor concern in Hiccup's mind. He was now thinking of how to get into that boat and leaving without them noticing it's gone. And a more important fact; how will they know where to go? Berk was... west from here? Yes, west. Damn. They didn't have a map or a compass or anything to help them locate places and themselves. How will they know which way they're going? He decided to think about that once they were off that blasted island.

They waited until it was late again. The vikings stayed there until midnight, before their drunken bodies guided them up to the village again. Not even bothering to think about anything or going anywhere else but their warm beds.

The savages left the docks empty again and as Hiccup tried to force air to his lungs, they crippled to the shore and Toothless cut the ropes that were holding the boat to the dock. They packed some stock for the trip; they had no idea how much time they'll stay stuck in the sea. As soon as they boarded, the boat started to sail away from the island and they were off.

Hiccup was sure that when they got to the island, flying with their dragons for the first time, they arrived to the western part of it; the docks. That meant that Berk was straight ahead if you sail out from the docks? Gods, even thinking was difficult for him. His focus was blurring again, it was becoming more frequent. Hiccup guided the boat straight ahead, hoping he was going in the right way. The waters of the ocean were flowing calmly around the small boat, and the wind was strong enough to take them far away from the island within just thirty minutes. With the darkness if the night, it was really difficult to make out anything, especially when they had no idea where they were going. The first thing that came into Hiccup's mind after being free was get some sleep. He ate some of the provisions in the small barrel and tried to sleep afterwards. Not Toothless, not the day, not the ocean was going to wake him up this time. He finally gave his body some rest.

Unless…

A thunder roared in the sky, it was so loud that it had woken Hiccup from his whole night slumber. As it was midday, but the sky was as dark as it could be. The black clouds, heavy with water of a soon to be storm, were right above them. The wind was already blowing wildly and rain was pouring faster and faster until in seconds, it had him soaked completely. Hiccup gasped and crawled his way to the helm to change the course of the boat. It was useless. The waves where starting to get bigger and wider around them, they made the boat jump once, twice and it bounced in the water, making it very difficult for Hiccup to move around it with just one leg. The boat came to a hustle that hurdled them blind as the water splashed and doused into the boat.

Toothless seemed to have the same trouble, he tried blasting plasma blasts into the sky to call the attention of someone, something, anything… They were in trouble.

The wind and the sea were working together to dump the little boat. The sails jerked roughly against the wind, and the mast was cracking a fissure on its middle. The movement of the ocean battling with the boat howled loud with the wind. The rain was now not only falling in just one direction as the wild wind changed its course as well, no matter where you looked, the water falling from the sky, was going to land in your eyes. The mast had finally broken and fallen over, forgotten in the vast sea.

The possibility of their imminent death was growing by the second… They were not surviving this.

A huge wave formed a wall beside them and ditched them almost overboard. Hiccup didn't know how long he was going to last, he could hardly breathe on normal weather, and now the water keeping him to find oxygen was making things worse, not to mention his wounded shoulder, burns, injures and lack of left leg. His lungs were burning with the salt that was entering his being and his throat ached from so much coughing the salt out. His eyes were blinded as well. His dragon was having a difficult time trying to keep up with his rider, but as Hiccup seemed that he would faint at any moment, Toothless stood by his side and tried keep the water off the way. But nothing worked.

Another punch of water landed on Hiccup's face, then another. The more he tried to stand up again, the more the ocean will fight back. As his vision became blacker and blacker, his senses started to fail him as well. A large wave and a powerful strike of wind was the last thing he saw before it hit them both and flooded the boat, turning their senses blank…

000000

"Mommy" The child cried.

"Hey! Hey little one", it was not but two years, since she started calling her son like that. Since that first night when he woke her up with his cries and then mixed up with her own. She named him Vindur, it meant _wind,_ and Astrid thought it might suit him just fine. Motherhood became an easy task when she got the hang of it, she learned how to handle a small kid and how to give him the love he needed, and Astrid loved her son very much. She'd been a good mother, Val once said.

"Now, put that eel down before I get mad. You know Stormfly doesn't like them." The little boy giggled as he covered his big mouth with his hands. He dropped the eel to the floor and Astrid picked it up and put it back on the table before her son went toddling to the arms of his mother.

The two years plus the nine months of pregnancy had kept her mind busy. Things did change in the time being; Val and Gobber had helped her in those years of a single mother and the village was handled perfectly. The first and the last months Astrid was panicked, said she had no idea what to do or how to handle it. Some midwives and elders took some of her time to teach her about housekeeping when having a baby and some tricks to keep him calm. The young chiefess had learned how to do it and love it; handling a kid didn't seem difficult in that time, at least she was accompanied by all those experienced people. But, all in all, Astrid sometimes felt lonelier than ever. There were days when there was only her and her growing belly; the more it grew, the more she began to accept that yes, she was going to have a baby. She was not ready. No one is ready to have their first child, Val had said.

"Stomy!" The child cried.

"Okay, big boy, what do you say we pay old Granny a visit, eh?" She said as she shifted the toddler in her arms and rocked him. Astrid smiled.

"Ganny Val!" The auburn-haired called.

The village greeted her with joy as they saw the young heir in his mother's arms squirming playfully, Stormfly on their feet. Some restrictions were disciplined in her during the pregnancy; no flying: being the most intolerable, no training, no moving practically! And Astrid could be more annoyed by those. She felt grounded and useless. Her ankles and back ached like never before and it became difficult to move around with the weight of her belly pulling her down. Astrid had become to accept to herself that it was worth it, though the village and her child and the burden she carried didn't seem to make things any better. But once she had her baby, things became smoother than before, at least in the physical way. Her sleep returned when Vin started to give his mother some quiet nights and her troubled mind took a rest when it was busy putting all its attention to her son. But some nights… even when Vin didn't wake her up, she missed those cries, fearing that one day they won't wake her up anymore… Somehow, when she thought about it, Vin did make things better. As he didn't let her sleep, he gave her rest.

"Good morning Astrid and good morning to you little Vin!" said Hoark cheerfully with his smile blooming beneath his tangled beard as they passed near the bakery. Little Vin had become his nickname, she liked it. Astrid gritted him happily, taking her son's arm in her hand and waving it to Hoark. They headed down the plaza, receiving more salutes from the Viking folk as little Vindur tried to grab his mother's braid that fell around her shoulder. It had become a nasty habit since he learned to use those hands. Vindur was playful and had his father's curiosity and hunger to explore anything within his arm's reach; he liked the toys Astrid gave him and some harmless tools from the forge and inspect them, learning how they worked. Astrid will never let him reach a weapon, at least just for now.

'He looks just like him', the first time Astrid heard that was from Gobber, who knew her husband since he was in dippers and quite frankly, the only one around who could tell her that… Vindur indeed looked like a baby Hiccup; he had his thick auburn hair and his button nose. His eyes though, were his mother's and were full of wonder, his little hands waving around trying to grab something always and his smile that always reached his eyes.

Astrid noticed something about her son when he was a baby; one night when she just couldn't stop staring at her son's face, how tiny and beautiful he was, defenseless and fragile. When they spent time alone, just the two of them, she had inspected his face and studied him, got to know him. One day, the perfect triangle of freckles right below his right eye caught her eye. She'd seen those before, in the face of another man and noticed them in a rather similar way; in a bed with her loved one. She had fallen in love all over again, and this kind of love made her feel the craving for her son's safety. Her child was hers and she was his. The relationship they'd built during those two years became closer by the day. Even when her son didn't understand a word she said in the beginning, she liked talking to him for hours. When he learned his first words and wouldn't stop Astrid wondered if it really was a good idea, but still loved hearing little Vin talk his senseless and incomprehensible words she loved so much to hear.

The old house of her mother-in-law came to view and Astrid put the toddler down to help him walk hand in hand. She had to knock the door a few times before Valka appeared with a smile in her face at the sight of her small grandson, whom she'd also grown to love. The child hailed as he leaped to her arms and greeted her with small kisses in her wrinkled cheeks. He seemed like a very happy kid. His loved ones always smiled in his presence and he liked being around his loved ones.

He was always smiling, though when he asked for his father for the first time, he looked curious and somewhat confused. Why wasn't he here with him?

The afternoon became a little more livid as the three of them headed to the Great Hall for dinner; little Vin was already used to the big jumble, the glee of the mass of Vikings, giving cheers and distributing the mead to their fellows. In some of his forming memories, the Vikings were not so cheerful at first, but then others greeted him with respect and admiration. The village had grown to love him as much as his mother, after all, he was the son of the Pride of Berk some called him. He had no idea. Maybe it had something to do with his dad…

Her mother had told him how great and wonderful a man he was. Vindur wanted to know more about his father, he felt proud, but then realized how much he needed him. As much as it pained Astrid to remind herself what happened to her husband, she had to tell her son the truth, maybe he wouldn't understand, but later, when he grows up and becomes a man, Astrid wanted to make sure he understood what exactly happened to his father and reassure him that what he did before he died was the most honorable thing to do. Defend and protect his village and family with all his heart and beliefs. Astrid managed to tell her son what happened in the most subtle way possible. It was a cruel to tell your child how his father died. She was not explicit, she didn't want to, but she did told him the basics.

What a pitiful thing; trying to explain what death was to a little baby. It was not the way it was supposed to be, but it had to be done.

He loved his mother so much, but something was still missing… His mother had told him that one day he'd be just like his father. Vindur remembered feeling joy when he heard what his father did. One day he asked his mother when he is going to come back of his heroic mission… Astrid told him he won't. In the second year of his life, he woke up yelling at his mother telling her why his father wouldn't come back, Astrid lost it there and hugged her son, trying to explain to him, make him see, and at the same time, she wanted so desperately to not tell him anything and let him live in a happy world. But that couldn't happen.

The elders and Astrid's friends saluted the trio and accompanied them in the large council's table. They'd all decided to put Astrid into chiefing duty until her son came of age. The villagers they dared not to mention his father at all but they couldn't help but relate him in every way possible. Astrid decided it made no harm to remind the child how important his father was to the village and as chief, of course he was avowed. Now, he was welcomed and dear to everyone.

One day, the elders asked Astrid if she was going to remarry and she discarded any proposition in the matter. Astrid didn't remarry, and it never even crossed her mind. Her heart never opened to anyone ever again. The only kisses that came to her skin were her son's. The only intimate love she wanted to receive from a man was her son's. Some people teased her with Eret, but both of them threw out any inappropriate proposition.

Little Vin had made a good name for himself, he became quite famed among viking folk. The young one had become a little sassy for his own good –something he gained from his mother, Ruff once said- and with every new of the few words he's learned, he'd gained attention. There were not so many young kids in the village, so he spent most of the time with his mother or his grandma, but the ones that were the closest to his age became friends with him, didn't spend so much time with them though. He was kind of a loner.

As Astrid's company became limited in the Haddock Household, she didn't want to spend a night without her kid in the house but during the day, when she was required in the council or in training, she left him with Valka, as she loved spending the afternoon with her grandson.

Vin enjoyed being with his granny, mostly because she would talk to him about her dragon knowledge and transfer some of the family tradition to her son's heritage, enjoying every second of it herself. The child was a reminder to Valka of what had happened to her years ago with her own son. Vin looked so much like Hiccup as a baby. Sometimes, Valka secretly pretended that Vin was Hiccup and that he was a little baby again and growing up with her. It was sad to pretend that Hiccup actually grew up with her and that she had been a good mother that was there when her child needed her, a mother that watched her son grow. But this was not her child. _That _opportunity had passed and was gone forever. That's why she loved her grandson so much; it somehow made her believe that she had a chance to see her little family grow again. Him and her daughter-in-law, now they were the only family she had left.

As for other times, Astrid spend her whole day with her son, teaching him things and showing him how things work, telling him stories and just being there with him; talking with him or doing nothing. Those were the days Astrid loved, her son had her truly surprised by the way he saw the world, even if it was a world witnessed by a two-year old. Ruff volunteered from time to time to take care of the infant when Astrid was very busy. Once she tried with Snotlout... it didn't work out.

Astrid's behavior had become calmer for the past three years when she was with her son. Some could tell the difference when she was alone with him and when she was not. Some would tell she's still recovering from her husband's death and some would tell she just hides it when her son's around. The rumors of how Astrid handled her husband's death died when they learned she was with baby and some didn't believe she was going to make it; but Astrid proved them wrong because she displayed to be an incredible mother and a good leader to all of them during the time of her pregnancy and during the two years with her son in her arms. Astrid's life had gone sedentary and quiet since then. It was a good thing. Everything in its place. Except for...

One tired afternoon, when she had a conversation with Gobber, she broke down in front of her mentor in the middle of the forge. The blacksmith had his own love for his apprentice and was as shocked and devastated when he heard the news. But he, as well as Valka, decided it was better to help the young girl, who was less likely to surpass this episode as calmly as them. It was her first time.

Astrid still went to the cliff of Itchy Armpit, at least once a week. Just to be alone and sometimes rest in the grass and close her eyes, feeling the warm breeze of summer in her hair and heat the sound of the wind as it danced with the carrot trees. It reminded her of old times, good times. After years of going in their anniversary or in his birthday, she grew to find the place soothing instead of a torture. In those days she spent her time alone. It reminded her of him; the freedom and the immunity. Having a child didn't make feel chained or commited; it made her feel flexible and docile. A feeling she's never had before. Resting in the cliff was no longer a burden to uphold, but it was still something she liked to do alone. She never brought her son along. This was _theirs_, and only theirs.

On the normal days, the village minded its own business, the commotion died about their chief death years ago and now things were peaceful and quiet. No more wars came after _that_, but there were still problems Astrid had to correct and she did her duty with her village and her son. Sometimes she traveled –not for long as she didn't want to leave her son alone- and sometimes she had to attend to trading business and economic problems with other tribes.

It had turned a routine. But a really beautiful one. It still hurt watching her son grow alone. How's she going to give him the man talk? Who's going to teach him how to shave and lead the village? How's she going to teach him how to know he's found the right girl? All these questions had been wiped with a sleeve in a wet cheek and Astrid decided to not think about it until it's time. She wanted to take every moment she had with her child, since she learned long ago that your loved ones are a treasure that could be taken from you if you don't watch your back. Her son was her opportunity to do that, be careful but fearless. And she was willing to take every chance to defend her son as his father did before him.

* * *

**Wooo I'm so happy! I took a lot of time and blood and sweat to get this finished! Thanks a lot for keeping up and please review, I'd like to see what you think!**

**-HiccstridForever**


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